


Types of Pigments

by illune



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop & Tattoo Parlor, Comedy, Comfort, Dating, Domestic, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Parenthood, Romance, relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-24
Updated: 2016-10-21
Packaged: 2018-08-17 01:49:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8125763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/illune/pseuds/illune
Summary: Gabriel Reyes, co-owner of a semi-successful tattoo parlor, didn't expect to fall for a blond flower boy like Jack Morrison.





	1. Contrasts

_‘Some bodies are like flowers,_   
_Others are like knives,_   
_Others like water ribbons;_   
_But all of them will be, sooner or later,_ _  
_ _burn marks that will expand in another body._ ’

-Luis Cernuda

* * *

On moments of stillness, Gabriel Reyes liked to reminisce on the words he had once heard, fresh out of the military, about the hobby that eventually became his career. _‘All forms of art result from pain. The toll life takes on the soul needs a way to permeate the outside world. Some use sounds, others paint. To us, life means ink and blood. Let your skin be a canvas, and don’t allow pain overrule your art_.’

It had been that simple and small conference what had pushed him into this branch of his life. At that moment it was impossible for him to know. Gabriel liked to draw. His fingers were always mostly covered in graphite or, in the rare treat of the year, gauche. Nowadays, the messy stains had been replaced by drawing tablets and white clinical gloves. Tools that kept him busy on a day to day basis.

That late Friday afternoon was not, in any way, busy.

A digital clock on the wall read 5:26 pm. The parlor remained devoid of people. Black floors devoid of any dirt, pristine and shining thanks to  the close care put in its maintenance. Hanzo had tied up the blue curtains to let the sunshine in and save electricity, the afternoon light radiating through the dissipating clouds. The doors to both personal studios remained open, but only Gabriel’s was occupied. In the outside garden, seen through the glass panes behind the front counter, the weeping willow dropped the remaining water off its leaves.

It had been a peaceful day overall. The rainy afternoon kept the place completely void of clients and, as such,  only Jesse had showed up to keep Hanzo company. The lights flickered as the Shimada swept the floor. According to what he said to Gabriel, a couple of designs had depleted his creative well and the Shimada needed to clear his head in order to avoid a complete burnout.

Some pamphlets for Lucio’s café had been blown over when the door opened to let McCree inside.

Four minutes early, still awfully punctual.

With him came the smell of freshly baked bread and ground coffee. Doña cooed softly at the top of the shop’s support beams when the drummer arrived, already accustomed to seeing him every day for as long as she had been taken into the shop. Over the past year, Jesse became the provider of sweets for the shop. He would always buy a huge bag of assorted sweets to _“share them with the clients”_.

Gabriel knew he bought them thinking of Hanzo.

It had been a slow week that culminated in a dull day. Gabriel Reyes was hopeful that more appointments and walk-ins would start coming as their advertising efforts reached broader audiences. If you fished out far enough, something had to bite. Right?

“Hey everybody,” Jesse’s deep voice echoed in the empty shop. The owl, still at the top of the wooden beam, leaned her head sideways for a few seconds before returning to her prior motionless state. From where he was, Reyes could see perfectly towards the main room of the parlor, so he could see as McCree shook off water like a puppy  “brought some sweet bread and coffee for y’all”

Hanzo barely gave Jesse a glance, his attention put into fixing the wilting flowers resting on top of the counter. Their vase, a gift from his brother, depicted a landscape reminiscing of Hanamura. A precious possession of Hanzo that he kept out in the open for some unknown reason.

“You look like a wet dog, McCree.” Hanzo’s voice, as usual, came steady and rough. Considering how tired the Shimada was, that could be received as a warm welcome.  “Try not to flood the floor.”

“Oh darlin’, you just give the word and I’ll do some tricks for ya” Jesse, wet as he was, hugged Hanzo from behind after setting aside the two bags he had with him. His dripping beard leaving bright marks on Hanzo’s skin, which filled with goosebumps due to the unexpected coldness.

One thing Gabriel knew very quickly about Hanzo Shimada, is that he was a well-prepared man ready to tackle any form of challenge or obstacle thrown his way. Years upon years of self-defense classes, arduous physical training and a weird proficiency with bows had made him a dangerous man. The good thing is that, unless very visibly provoked, Hanzo would rather torment the other person until they gave up.

With Jesse, this didn’t happen. The man was too forgiving, and hurtful words slipped away from his mind the moment they touched him. That’s why just barely a second after engaging, McCree was howling on the floor and gasping for breath. With a quick and clean hit to his solar plexus, Hanzo immobilized any _threat_ coming his way. Unnecessary, but highly effective.

Gabriel had to step out of the office to stop the ensuing commotion. If left unattended Hanzo could easily beat out any form of sense that Jesse could have left.

“Keep it down you two” Reyes said, trying to care more for the two men than for his curiosity on what Jesse had brought to eat. “You’re gonna scare the miss.”

The owl on the ceiling was resting peacefully, completely unfazed by anything below her.

“The next time your _boy_ does that,” Hanzo had taken a small towel from around the counter and was drying himself, his navy blue t-shirt damp in some spots “I will be castrating him, and that’s final”

Still on the floor, McCree followed the movements around him with amusement.

Gabriel counted this as the sixth threat against Jesse’s life for that month.

“But Hanzo, darlin’, dear” Jesse’s pronunciation of the Shimada’s name always lingered a bit too long on the ‘ _n_ ’, and it infuriated Hanzo “you know I don’t mean any harm, quite the opposite really. You know consent is my kink.”

Reyes walked over and poked McCree’s belly with his right boot, leather against skin.

“You’re getting fat, Jess” Reyes said absent-mindedly while grabbing a cup of coffee and trying to decide if to eat, or not, one of the treats. “Stop eating so much or we’re gonna go back to training at 5 in the morning”

Hanzo snorted, but didn’t add anything to the insult. Jesse’s groans and attempts to hide his not-so-muscular stomach resulted in Gabriel pressing more intently with his shoe.

Gabriel was very content with the familiar dynamic they kept in the small tattoo parlor.

It had started five years prior. Shimada and Reyes met in an Art & Design conference hosted in Prague, both looking forward to find someone in the inking business with a portfolio as impressive as their own. Hanzo’s attention to detail and soft technique, almost non-abrasive on the skin, had won him a great reputation in Japan, but he wanted -needed- to expand his horizons. Gabriel’s approach, on the polar opposite, was more tough and invasive, creating himself a reduced but faithful group of clients that had maintained him afloat along the years. Reyes needed someone, a business partner, to solidify his shop idea. Shimada wanted experience. They fit each other like tailored suits.

Jesse walked in just once into his _old man’s shop_ and couldn’t help but return day after day for the Shimada. He brought sodas, coffee, teas, cakes, cookies, anything that could get a simple smile out of Hanzo, one simple gesture to hold on to. Gabriel, curious after months of attendance, asked Jesse why the fixation with someone as detached as Hanzo.

‘ _He shot me straight in the heart, pops_ ’ he had said to Gabriel with his fixated on Hanzo, who was applying the finishing touches of an elaborate portrait someone wanted tattooed ‘ _and I can’t stop bleeding out for him’_.

Reyes couldn’t understand how McCree’s brain worked, but he had said weirder things before. And, if Gabriel was honest with himself, he was glad that McCree had finally found someone else to put his attention into. Jesse was a great man, but his energy was often directed towards Reyes and he could be exhausting in prolonged doses.

 _“He has the energy of a young dog and the attention span of a goldfish”_ Hanzo had answered when Gabriel asked him what he thought of McCree _“If he keeps his hands to himself then I will have no objections for his visits”_

Needless to say, Jesse didn’t.

Hanzo walked up to him just as Reyes picked and decided to eat one of the sweet breads. He recognized the bag from Reinhardt’s _Big Bread Bakery_ , a place Jesse had worked at for a couple years. Ridiculous name, perfect baking.

“Gabriel” Hanzo snatched one of the sugar-covered breads from Reyes’ hands and bit into it “We need new flowers, the ones in the counter have withered and cannot remain there. It destroys the parlor’s image. Let’s go to the shop together.”

Diving again into the plastic bag, Gabriel fished out a mangled piece of bread. His hands now sticky and uncomfortable.

“Again with this? Why are you insisting so much on me going with you?” Gabriel counted in his head, once again, that his was the third time that Hanzo asked him to buy flowers with him “Just take McCree along, he can do any type of heavy lifting”

“Jesse is unreliable--”

McCree jumped up and, thanks to the rush, almost face planted back to the floor.

“Am not!” He screamed, tugging his flannel shirt down to cover his bellybutton. “Seriously, just gimme a chance here Hanzo”

“—and as the co-owner you should be more invested in how this place looks” Without skipping a beat, Hanzo ignored Jesse’s plead. Gabriel had once found it amusing, how the two of them simply couldn’t give into each other. Nowadays, it was routine. “And no, just giving money to purchase something is not being involved. That is barely caring.”

Jesse flung his arms in the air and took the bag of bread for himself, stomping away towards Gabriel’s studio while murmuring something about not being appreciated enough. He slammed shut the door, alarming Doña.

“Fine, if I go this time would you stop being so pushy about it?” Reyes was both curious and annoyed: Hanzo never pressured this much over decoration or non-important issues, let alone go to places with him. “If I didn’t know you better, I’d say you want to spend some quality time with me”

“Do not flatter yourself that much Gabriel,” Hanzo walked over to the coat rack, tying his hair up on the way “I enjoy your company, but not enough to actively seek more of it. I want to save time and go home early.”

Gabriel sighed, knowing that there was no convincing the Shimada of going alone this time. Third time’s the charm, after all.

He wondered how he and his brother Genji had come up so differently, the younger one being more flexible and indulgent with people. Their brotherly relationship was wild.

The times when Reyes had seen them fight, Hanzo’s aggression had made Gabriel double take on the man he had decided to start a business with. His words hurted, even to Gabriel who was just a casual bystander. Genji remained unfazed, any mention of unmorality for his line of work completely bouncing off of him.

They were weird opposites that somehow coexisted with enough stability.

Once outside, where the wind was cold and a light drizzle still fell, Gabriel let Hanzo take the lead towards the flower shop. Still indecisive about his role on this shopping endeavor, Gabriel eyed the Shimada up and down.

The shorter man had always been a mystery to him, a secretive and contemplative attitude always cloaking his actions. Way back when they met, Gabriel had immediately considered the possibility of not only making him his business partner, but _something else_. The only stopping point is that he was barely a year older than Jesse. It didn’t feel right at the moment, and Reyes was glad he didn’t act on his impulses. Hanzo Shimada was a great friend, and an amazing person to have around as guidance. And despite the harshness of his attitude, Hanzo’s intentions and decisions were always for good, even for Jesse if that could be believed.

Gabriel bumped against Hanzo’s back. Lost in thought, he barely noticed that they had arrived at flower shop. The strong herbal fragrance hit Reyes’ nose even from the outside. Weirdly enough, Hanzo didn’t mind Gabriel’s sudden closeness. He soon he opened the door, which announced their arrival through a wind chime.

The inside of the shop reminded Reyes of a very _chic_ café. The central area was arranged with glass tables surrounded by rattan chairs, shelves with flowers decorating the spaces between each table. From what Gabriel could see, all of the flowers exhibited were merchandise of the shop. To the right of the entrance, a counter with the cash register was also adorned with colorful flowers and small bushes. A small menu on a chalkboard hanged from the ceiling, listing tea flavors and a couple options for coffee.

The sides of the main area made a small way to the back of the shop, where Gabriel could guess the bigger and expensive merchandise was kept.

However, out of all the things Gabriel had waited to see that day, Hanzo Shimada being greeted by a flock of yellow baby chickens was the last of them.

“Be careful when stepping,” Hanzo looked down at the chickens, who were jumping around and peeping non-stop at him. The Shimada smiled slightly and moved around the small animals. “The owner loves these little things as if they were children.”

No matter where Hanzo tried to go, the small animals followed him happily. He turned to Gabriel with an exasperated sigh.

“Can you please pick out some flowers from the back? Those are better, since people often don’t go there.” Hanzo started making his way to the counter, avoiding chicken pecks. The woman behind it smiled as soon as she noticed Hanzo, fixing her silver braid to the side with a swift movement. “I am giving you complete freedom over which kind to choose, so do not disappoint.”

And with the _encouragement_ done, Hanzo was out of hearing range.

 _“Pick some flowers”_ , Gabriel thought with a confident smile. _“How hard can that be?”_

He drew the stares of a group of women amicably chatting amongst themselves. The thick contrast of his black on black outfit against all the color being not going unnoticed. Added to that: the menacing face and aura Gabriel always had. He found it amusing sometimes, how people actively stepped out of his way or looked away to avoid conflict. Other times, it just felt lonesome that strangers would never stop him on the street other than for the occasional

As soon as he stepped through the door frame towards the back of the shop, the world muted itself. The conversations and sounds of cups were left behind immediately, replaced by the occasional dripping of water. Following the small corridor, Reyes arrived at a bifurcation. To his right there was a very similar corridor that would lead him back into the main area of the shop. If he kept going forward, a glass door with wooden frames stopped him.

The doorknob gave away easily, and Gabriel found himself in an immense greenhouse.

Rows upon rows of shelves with flowers, seeds, decorations and tools filled the room. The small windows were shut close, only letting weak light through. A butterfly flew close by Gabriel, ascending towards an open panel on the ceiling that dripped water onto a group of lilies.

Suddenly lost, Reyes thought that perhaps he had underestimated his task.

The first option that crossed Gabriel’s mind was to grab some roses, but Hanzo disliked them. He said they were too tacky and common, used only when a proposition of sex was in place. Hanzo refused to have any form of low-brow temptation in the parlor, deeming it superior over the simplistic nature of what roses wanted to communicate.

 _‘This is not a brothel, Reyes.’_ Hanzo had said while dumping a bouquet that a secret admirer had left in the store for Gabriel, a common occurrence that didn’t mean too much for them. _‘Stop insinuating we’d look better with red roses’_.

Walking farther, Reyes saw a second option in his search of decoration. It was more of a contingency plan, since he didn’t really care that much for flower picking. But the small bundle of daisies, resting silently  inside a light-blue pot, called out to him. A few droplets of dew remained on them, their fragrance becoming a pleasant perfume amongst the chaos that swirled around with all the other flowers.

Gabriel knew he was biased, but the daisies were gorgeous.

When was a child, and time wasn’t still occupied in sustenance, his mother had kept a small garden with daisies and lilies. Reyes helped her out everyday with the watering and keeping the soil healthy. Hot days under the sun shared with the only woman he had truly loved. The bouquet on his hands reminded him of how quickly those days went by, how fast everything went downhill.

It also made him crave lemonade, with that over the top sweetness his mother gave it.

Confident in his choice, Gabriel continued to check out the several ornaments that the store had. Hanzo would _have_ to like the flowers, this time it wasn’t a matter of requests or recommendations. Either the daisies were there, or some strong persuasion would be used.

Just as he browsed a skeleton-themed collection of garden accesories, probably leftovers from the previous Halloween, a whispering caught his attention.               

“I just wanted to help him out with Rein, that’s all” A feminine voice stated. The maze of flowers, vases and small bushes beginning to confuse Reyes. All the colors and smells were taking a small toll on him. “Come on dad, you know I don’t wanna wrong anyone”

Gabriel reached a corner and cautiously peeked around, finding a young woman in a mauve dress having her hair braided by two rather big hands. The man, with a delicacy that didn’t fit his size or appearance, placed small flowers into the strands of hair.

“I know Hana, but you have to let Lucio make his own mistakes” The man had a pleased smile on his face, his demeanor calm and collected.  “They just have to find their own, shared path. Give them time.”

“But what if somethings goes wrong and they end up breaking apart?” The lady, Hana if Gabriel had heard right, sounded truly distressed and concerned over a relationship that didn’t even exist yet.

“Then that means they’re not meant to be. Reinhart and Lucio are both good, truly incredible men, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re good for each other.” One final flower was placed, and the man sighed, patting both of Hana’s shoulders reassuringly “We’re done here, all ready to impress”

An insect -a bee or wasp- flew dangerously close to Reyes’s eyes. He certainly didn’t see what it was, but the startle was enough to almost knock back a shelf full of small ornaments and wind pipes.

The sound was far too loud for Gabriel to just walk away unseen or unheard.

“Hey asshole! Be careful,” Hana had stood up and was pointing an accusatory and threatening finger towards Gabriel. The small lady didn’t even reach Reyes’ chin, and now that he had a clear look at her face, she seemed barely above legal age. The aggression made him snort. “those are expensive you dick!”

The man walked behind her and pinched her cheek, the girl whining in annoyance. He was as tall as Gabriel, and if the apron was any clue, he also worked in the shop. His apron had the flowershop logo, so it was safe to assume that he was a worker there.

“Hana please, nothing got broken so there’s no harm done. Be polite.” The man’s voice was gentle, but had enough force to be demanding.

Hana huffed and puffed, stomping away from the two men, frustrated that her tough gal act had been taken down.

“Fine! Thank you dick, we were having a great time and you had to shit on it!” The small woman slammed the door behind her, Gabriel smiled in amusement.

The blond man sighed and clapped his hands clean,  his smile returning right afterwards.

“Please excuse Ms. Song, she can be quite harsh, something that comes with such youth” A short laugh, Gabriel followed how the man straightened his apron and placed a few straggler flowers on its pocket “what can I help you with, Sir?”

The man’s smile was so white and sincere that Gabriel got taken aback. Something about the man’s sole presence made Reyes’ heart beat violently, blue eyes erasing the usual aggressive thoughts he had against overly kind people. He didn’t even know the man’s name for a witty comment or remark, anything to bring him back to a state of control over himself.

The small bundle of daisies on his hand would’ve screamed if flowers were capable of emanating sound.

“I--” No coherency was left in his head for a moment, a gust of wind suddenly blowing everything away. Hanzo would be displeased if he took so long. Then, as if a broken circuit had sparked, four words Gabriel never even thought of saying in his life came blurting out.  “I lost my Hanzo!”

A violent reaction that made the blonde laugh. Reyes couldn’t help the burning sensation on his face as his cheeks blushed.

“Oh, so you’re here with Hanzo-sama?” The politeness towards the Shimada took Gabriel by surprise. If he remembered correctly, that title was reserved for highly important figures and older people. “I might’ve missed him coming in! I’m really sorry, my name’s Jack, Jack Morrison.”

The blonde held out his hand, full of small cuts and tiny scars that Gabriel could only think were from tending to bushes and flowers without the proper protection.

He found them extremely charming.

“I’m Gabriel Reyes” He held Jack’s hand firmly, and hoped that his grasp wasn’t too rough. If it had been, the blonde didn’t give notice of it. “Nice to… meet you, Jack.”

Once again, Jack smiled brightly, his eyes shrinking with honest joy.

“Ah, the famous Gabriel! Hanzo has told us a lot about you.” Gabriel could feel sweat coming. Hanzo wasn’t exactly the greatest at compliments, so whatever he had said couldn't be flattering. “I have been expectant to finally meet you, and your impressive tattoos.”

Jack chuckled again, and Gabriel didn’t know where to hide or run without looking like a complete fool. No one in his whole life had been this welcoming right after meeting, and it was starting to feel uncomfortable and inappropriate.

Unlucky for him, the blond let go of his hand and looked towards the door. Gabriel saw Hanzo come in, a trail of chickens behind him, and greet Jack amicably. Morrison walked to meet the Shimada halfway, birds surrounding them both and peeping frantically. The two men got into a calm conversation that Reyes couldn’t hear, his mind suddenly screaming at him to run away.

It was, however, way too late. He already had a perfect understanding of Jesse and his behavior: while the young one had been shot, Jack Morrison blinded Reyes.

One of the flowers dropped a part of it, falling slowly to the ground slowly with a harmonious sway. The tight grip never ending.

While Reyes saw the petal land on the stone floor, he wondered if those blue eyes could be his.


	2. Stealth Tactics

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morrison's head had always been cluttered and convoluted, but when Reyes suddenly appeared it devolved into utter chaos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What would I do without Cyan, Micho and Vits?  
> Probably be a mess.

_Do not look_  
_for owners_  
_here_  
_In this land_  
_you will only find_  
_servants_  
_Those who went on a pilgrimage_  
_and came back._

* * *

For Jack Morrison, honesty was more than a word to use in situations where he wanted the truth. His father and ancestors held that value above anything else in life; it was rooted deep inside their family’s psyche. For them, the farmer’s way of life had to be genuine and decent, and nothing was more honorable in their eyes than working the ground. As such, most of his memories were of hard days with only the sun burning against his skin, formed of sweat, dirt and an awful silence that combined itself with the loneliness of being an only child.

His reduced family was based on respect to the elders, with only space for important remarks related to the farm’s maintenance, the crops, or the animals. There were almost no signs of real worry about each other’s well-being, let alone room for displays of affection. But young Jack knew that their family was _fine_. They would certainly say otherwise, right?

Truth above all else, and all that.

Being honest with everyone was the way to get ahead in life, or at least that’s what he’d been told for a decade and a half. If you hid nothing, then nobody could use a secret against you.

Which is why he had only said three lies during his life.

The first one was trying to blame the _sun_ for burning a bag of corn ears to a crisp, way back at the tender age of seven. It had been a simple mistake, one that he kept attributing to his childish ignorance: if corn gets hot enough, it becomes popcorn. Straightforward thinking, if only slightly flawed. His father had found him trying to douse the bag with a hose that had way too much water pressure. Any vegetable that wasn’t burned ended up mangled by the force, and his punishment had been a month of double hours in the field with no entertainment or dinner.

The second came with an irresponsible, conscious action. Jack liked his father’s rifle a lot; it was heavy and big in his young hands and made him feel powerful for once. That by itself wasn’t inherently bad or harmful, but alcohol was also on his mind a lot and he indulged in the occasional cheap, secret beer. The other sixteen-year olds were doing it anyways, so why not be like the cool kids for once? The problem presented itself when, drunk out of his mind, he took out his father’s rifle from the safety cabinet and decided to go for a midnight shooting session in the fields, resulting in a purple eye from the recoil and shooting himself in the foot with a blank. Punishment: kicked out of the house for a week. It had been a permanent  sentence, but Jack’s mother had been persistent enough that his father ended up lifting the ban.

The terrible bumps on the road functioned as reminders to never question the power of honesty. At the time, Jack had thought he deserved the punishments, never really knowing how brutal they had been. How could he? Kids trust their parents blindly. Nowadays, it was clear that the way he was treated could’ve been sanctioned by law, and should not get to him as badly as it did. But the years passed and the guilt was still there.

‘ _Water under the bridge,_ ’ Jack would think every time the memories of his childhood came back. ‘ _It’s way in the past now. Move on and be better than_ him.’

But then the man from the tattoo parlor suddenly appeared in his shop, interrupting a rather crucial conversation with Hana about not _meddling_ in other people’s lives. He held daisies in between big hands, and the dread of having to fake it again came right along with him.

Then, the inevitable lie number three: fake ignorance on his knowledge of Gabriel Reyes.

Everybody knew who he was, even if the man didn’t socialize at all with anyone but Hanzo, Jesse, and his clients. How could you ignore him? He was the city’s eyecandy and most of the women in the flower shop gossiped about his looks, scars, tattoos. And, especially, his thighs. The ladies were absolutely smitten by Reyes’ legs. Most of the time the comments involved heads between them, occasionally getting smothered if they were feeling particularly raunchy.

The female clientele was wild, and Jack couldn’t blame them. More than once he had seen the man, dressed in black from head to toe, and couldn’t help but get flustered at how he moved. Gabriel had an aura of security that was unmatched. Some might say that he was just intimidating and dangerous, but in his years of seeing Reyes around he had never purposefully drawn attention to himself and mostly kept quiet. Ana also said his police record of the last decade was completely clean, which meant that at least he behaved in the eyes of the law.

Jack hoped with all his might that, this time, lying wouldn’t bring anything bad.

And if punishment came, let it be in more _intimate_ ways that included the tattoo artist.

Morrison’s crush was undeniable, very much alike most of the people attracted to men that had ever laid eyes on Reyes. Gabriel conquered hearts just by being him, something that induced envy in those who weren’t swooned immediately by the stoic and aggressive man.

Jack was more than happy when, the very next day after their meeting, Reyes was back again at his shop during lunch hours. Ana and him had heard the wind chimes at the door, but Saturdays were always _manic_ and couldn’t break their attention from the sea of clients that suddenly needed arrangements. A lot of people were requesting small pines in ornate vases, the latest fad thanks to a tacky morning tv show. Not a lot of complaints there, since business was booming, but they could only do so much with just two people tending the shop. With Hana out of town for a wedding and Fareeha’s shift at the hospital ending at six, it was just Ana and Jack for the day.

If it hadn’t been for the stark contrast against the shop’s colorful tones, Gabriel could’ve gotten away with his weird spying for the whole afternoon. He stood in corners trying to look casual, sometimes picking flowers up and smelling them. At a certain point of the day, a client went to him looking for help. One of the hanging ficus way out of reach for her small stature, and surprisingly Reyes assisted her with a small smile on his face. After that, he was surrounded by other clients that needed help with moving and reaching things, lowering the workload from the shop’s owners.

Jack was convinced that Gabriel’s name fit perfectly, and that the man was an angel sent from heaven. Not that he was exactly religious, but if the shoe -or rather, heavy boots- fit, then there was nothing he can do about it. On more than one occasion Morrison had drifted his attention from his tasks and merely stared at Reyes’ arms moving potted plants around, his sleeveless zip-up hoodie revealing enough to show that he was wearing _just_ that piece of clothing.

The third time he zoned out, eyes fixed on the unnecessarily tight ripped black pants and Jack’s mind screaming ‘ _how is it possible to see every goddamned muscle?!’_ , Ana snapped her fingers in front of his face, and then hit his chest.

“Listen here, Jack. I know those hips don’t lie but you can drool over them after work.” The woman’s voice pulled him back to reality, Jack realized he had been holding a blue rose in his hand for far too long. “So hurry up that white ass of yours.”

Flustered, Jack focused his mind on working and nothing else.

Ana was right. His behavior was borderline stupid and could be compared to a lusty teenager. Those thoughts would have to be for the clients and their gossips; right now Jack needed to run a business and not drag it to the ground because of Reyes’ perfect lower bottom.

He reminded himself to profusely thank the man after the sea of clients dwindled, perhaps invite him a drink of his preference if it wasn’t too much of an invasion. But when the shop was finally empty, Fareeha having arrived shortly after 6:30 and providing another great source of help, Gabriel Reyes was nowhere to be found. _A pity_ , Jack thought, and secretly hoped that the man was planning on coming over more often, something in him wishing to see the tall figure every day.

And, in a way, he did.

For a whole week straight, Reyes came by around lunch time to purchase small ornaments or little arrangements that Jack fixed everyday for people to pick. Some of the usual clients that spent their time drinking tea started to greet him and make small talk after the initial shock wore down. By the fourth day he started bringing bread for the chickens in order to get some peace and not trip every two steps, trying to avoid the little animals that threatened with  their bickering.

Jack limited himself to just staring, his work pace slowing down considerably but at the same time enjoying the security that came with a figure like Reyes. Give and take. Some part of his mind had its reservations on the man, what his intentions were by appearing out of nowhere and suddenly introducing himself in Jack’s work space. But a bigger part of him just felt that his company was _right_. Even if Jack lied about his recognition, Gabriel felt as good as being honest. It was either a powerful gut feeling, or a great delusion created by infatuation.

One way or another, Jack never acted upon his impulse to reach out. The Morrison ghosts always came back to haunt him when there was enough willpower: _You lied, and nothing good will happen because of it. You fucked it all up._

Ana was the only one that really established any form of contact with Reyes. Jack remembered overhearing a small discussion between them on how coffee was superior over tea, and that they should get a better provider for their _beans_ because they were a disgrace. Ana had almost smacked the man after he dissed her tea, but the moment was saved by Fareeha’s appearance. On the next day, Gabriel was there with two cups of coffee and they both spent lunch time talking. At one moment that afternoon, Jack caught them staring at him and giggling like teens.

Morrison was just _slightly_ jealous, only clouded by an overwhelming fear: Make fun of the farm boy, the pretty boy that smelled like chickens. Jack preferred outright rejection to mockery; that stage of being insulted had already been left behind along with books and color pencils.

On the seventh day, as if somehow it were a biblical occurrence, Reyes didn’t show up to the store. It allowed for a fresh breath of air, the presence of the tattooed man having become more and more oppressive each second to the point where Jack couldn’t work up the nerve to walk up to him for a simple greeting. Ana becoming more and more friendly with him just didn’t help. He knew that Amari took any chance to either rip him a new one or make fun at his expense.

 _Absurd_ , he thought. _You’ve done harder things than talk to a handsome man, Jackie. Get a fucking grip on yourself._

But Reyes was intimidating and Jack felt that at any given moment he could be snapped in half without any effort. Hell, even at bootcamp the generals in charge hadn’t been such a problem for Jack. There he just needed to look straight ahead, speak when commanded, and then carry out the orders. But his military days were long in the past, and Gabriel was not someone he needed to follow around in order to get ahead in life. For all he knew, Reyes could be going to the shop just because he liked flowers and chatting with Ana.

Why else would he? Because of Jack, another-face-in-the-crowd Morrison? As if.

Before letting his mind wander ahead, Jack started working on an order put in by Hanzo over the phone. Apparently an important event for a colleague had come up out of nowhere, hence why the Shimada wasn’t able to go personally and pick the flowers for the arrangement.

It also meant that he would need to got to the parlor later, in order to deliver the bouquet.

Trying to pry his mind away from anything related to ink and skin, he recalled the order. Hanzo had barely specified the colors, pink and light blue, and nonchalantly gave Jack _full freedom_ on which flowers should go in it. For arrangements like this one, where the request was so lax, Jack would usually go all-out in the placement and meaning of each bundle of flowers. That day, however, his mind gnawed at his inability to make small talk with Reyes.

This had happened once before with the bakery owner. Reinhardt was a man so huge and imposing at first glance that Jack’s training and instincts just screamed _get away before he sees you_. Then the bear hugs came, along with thunderous laughter and freshly baked sweets. He had been surprised for a second when Ana didn’t start laughing out loud after expressing his concerns on her new German acquaintance, one that would become her best friend. She just patted his shoulder and shook her head. On one of the following days, Jack had spied on a conversation held between the Amari and Hanzo.

 _“Just look at him, he’s so clueless it’s almost worrying,”_ Ana had said, shaking her head and putting down her teacup, her dyed-silver hair glistening against the afternoon sun. “ _If he weren’t a blond, Jack would be the perfect Snow White_.”

 _“Ana, please,”_ Hanzo had scoffed, apparently uncomfortable at the mockery. “ _Jack is a decent man that sees the good in people. You are being needlessly hard on him. His concerns at Mr. Wilhelm should be well accepted.”_

The woman had laughed gracefully, crossing her legs in the process.

“ _I assure you, Shimada, that I'm not being hard. It’s called caring,_ ” she had said, fixing the fringe of her hair. “ _You should try it some time._ ”

The line between Ana’s worry and bashfulness had always been terribly thin. Jack had learned how to recognize when the woman was being either a concerned mom or a teasing friend. That didn’t mean the constant harassment wasn’t getting to him, but he dealt with it. Ana was the same way with Fareeha after all, and the motherly love was something he welcomed, even from someone who was the same age as him.

Still, a thought remained.

The stereotype of blondes came to mind. Superficial, dumb, needlessly obnoxious and uncaring. The world revolved around their predicaments and how to resolve them. A point blank stupid man. _Clueless_ . That small sliver of hope, the one where he secretly wanted Gabriel to be there _for him_ , suddenly became sour. A man could go into their shop all they wanted, after all. What could make him different than the other patrons? Nothing at all. He was being egotistical when thinking like that.

Worst of all, he was being dishonest with himself.

Delusions would bring him pain, that much he knew.

Jack’s head was a tangled maze of confusion. Gabriel had sparked so much inside his head solely by appearing and being another man in the shop, a casual client.

But despite trying to avoid the same repeating thoughts of Reyes all afternoon, Jack found himself sighing deeply at the door of the tattoo parlor.

It would be an easy task, no big deal. Just get in, drop the arrangement, get Hanzo’s signature for the receipt, then get out. No looking to the sides or getting to know people in there, which would probably be full of angry men looking for a fight.

Was that a gross stereotype?

He had only been inside a tattoo parlor once, and that didn’t end very amicably. But Hanzo wouldn’t allow violence in his shop, would he? Jack was, once again, ranting with himself.

When Jack opened the door, the only form of hostility came from a pair of eyes that followed him carefully from the ceiling. _An owl?_ Jack thought in shock, not really taking any of the men in charge of the shop for the pet-keeping kind. Hanzo, at some point, had made the comment that if he ever took upon himself the task of taking care of an animal, his choice would be a reptilian. His argument was based around the idea of not needing to clean his whole apartment every day, as you would with a dog. That could only mean that the bird on the ceiling was Gabriel’s, and the thought of him also being fond of the feathered friends made Jack’s heart warm up.

Once again, Jack had to pull himself back to earth and think of the job at hand. Flowers, Hanzo, get out. To avoid thinking of anything else that could potentially be corrosive against him, Jack took in his surroundings.

Morrison found it interesting how the horse-shoe building was spaced. The waiting area was rather big and accommodating, two sets of doors on each of its sides.  The northern right door was the access to a studio, probably Gabriel’s by the crown and skull motifs that decorated the walls leading up to it; the southern room was a small make-shift kitchen or breathing area with a microwave and a mini-fridge. The left side had dragons, tree branches, and several lotus and cherry blossom petals on the walls: Hanzo’s side. The other door there led to a pristine bathroom.

The parlor was quiet, calm. Jack’s footsteps on the shiny, black floor echoed along with the sound of the tattooing machines. At the  front counter, Jesse played absentmindedly on his phone, the faint sounds of gunshots coming from the small device. Behind him, the glass windows filtered afternoon light into the shop.

Jesse placed his phone down and smiled brightly after seeing Jack walk towards him, as was his custom.

“Oh! Howdy Jack!” McCree’s voice broke the silence without much care “What’cha doing here? Want to pop your ink cherry?

Morrison sighed at the innuendo, but decided to play along as he left the arrangement on top of the wooden surface, moving aside a small notepad -with a matching pen- that had several phone numbers on it and a small, messy doodle of a cowboy.

Despite belief to the contrary, he enjoyed McCree’s cheery company and dumb jokes. The man had spent some afternoons at the shop, mostly when Fareeha was also there. The two had been inseparable during their teen years, and no matter where one went, the other followed. Now, almost at their thirties, they only really kept in touch when gossiping at the shop. Jesse was delightful company, his cheery mood always improving the environment, and Jack was very glad the man was around.

“Very funny Jesse, but sadly I already have a rather embarrassing tattoo, so that _cherry_ doesn’t exist.” Jack chuckled as he and Jesse shook hands, “I’m just here to see Hanzo.”

“Well, that darlin’ is still with a client so you’ll have to wait for a bit,” Jesse shrugged. “Guess lil’ ol’ me will be your company.”

Jesse locked the screen of his phone and started to mouth what Jack was guessing were another copious amount of questions and stories, Jack bracing himself to deflect any question that was perhaps too personal. The other man had always been a little bit too prying, even if he didn’t mean to. Luckily, the door to the left of them suddenly opened up and stopped McCree’s train of thought. Jack silently thanked the timing; now there was no need to explain to Jesse the circumstances that had led him to get a drunk tattoo.

Out of the studio walked Hanzo and his client, a shockingly tall man with a kind face. Both of them chuckled as they stepped into the waiting area and then shook hands to depart.

“Thank you so much, Mr. Shimada,” the tall man beamed towards Hanzo, shaking his hand with excitement. “It looks fantastic!”

“This is an amazing gift for the both of you, and I hope your boyfriend likes it,” Hanzo had a pleasant smile on his face. He had apparently taken a liking to his client. “He has amazing handwriting. You should tell him to look into serigraphy.”

Hanzo Shimada being nice was not exactly what Jack had expected, but the man looked genuinely happy with his client and the piece he had inked on his skin. The man didn’t wait too long before walking out happily, almost prancing and beaming. Perhaps that gratefulness was what appealed to Hanzo, the appreciation of his art maxed up.

“And here I thought you didn’t like to be sappy,” Jesse smiled as soon as the client was gone, a mischievous smile plastered on his face. “Or do you have a thing for younger, taller men?”

"He was a client, someone who paid for our services. It is not my place to judge a design, especially one that the client has a lot of love towards.” And, as fast as it came, the pleasant aura around Hanzo broke. Back to being snappy. “I might not be openly romantic, but I am not that much of an imbecile, McCree.”

Jack needed to defuse the discussion quickly if he wanted to get out of the parlor without being seen by the other owner. “Nobody has called you an imbecile, Hanzo,” Morrison tried to use his best fatherly tone, and hoped that it didn’t come out as condescending. “If anything, it sounds like Jesse here is a little bit jealous.”

Instead of a snarky response, McCree crossed his arms and mumbled something that the other two men couldn’t register easily. Hanzo did his part and ignored him.

“I’m sorry to have made you come all this way for a delivery, Jack, ” Hanzo bowed slightly while speaking, a common signal to ask for forgiveness. As he straightened up, he let out a tired sigh before looking towards Jesse. “And I’m going to regret this but, McCree, would you mind helping me in cleaning up? That way I can get back to Jack quicker and we can all go home for the day.”

Jesse barely said anything, but still stood up and quickly followed Hanzo into his studio leaving Jack alone in the parlor’s waiting area. Only then was Morrison aware of the quietness that had suddenly taken over the shop exactly after Hanzo had come out of his studio. He was no expert, but he was sure to have heard more than one machine stirring and screeching. Jack was slowly getting restless, he was perfectly fine with the silence but the expectation of the other door opening and having to deal with Gabriel by himself was eating at him.  

So, instead of idling around, he picked up the pen and started to doodle a random flower.

His mind wandered to how classy the decoration of the parlor was, and then onto which one of the two men had decided on the minimalistic approach and then purchased the decor. It was almost funny, thinking of Gabriel and Hanzo going into a furniture store and shopping, the two men looking aggressive but carrying bags upon bags of cloths for the curtains. Jack found himself smiling. The tattoo artists were good men in spite of their appearances and harsh personalities.  

Jack almost didn’t hear the right door opening, lost in thought wondering if Gabriel would have fought with a salesman over the correct color for their leather sofa, until a flash of blue caught his attention and took his eyes away from the paper. The woman that walked out was astonishingly gorgeous and almost royal in demeanor. _A queen_ , Jack thought, shocked at how graceful she was.

But then, he was caught staring. “Good evening,” the woman greeted him, bowing her head slightly, the tapping of her high heels keeping a steady rhythm.

From the left side of the shop, Jack heard a fast shuffling before the door was pried open and Jesse leaned against the frame, smiling towards the woman.

“See ya Ms. Vaswani!” McCree almost screamed while waving around frantically.

“Goodbye, Mr. McCree,” the woman smiled pleasantly, rolling her _r's_ with delicacy.

As the woman got ready to leave, hand on the doorknob, Gabriel walked out of his studio.“Satya, remember to call at least a couple days before coming back,” Reyes’ voice shook Jack, enough to be reminded of how much he liked the man once again. “That way we can tell you if the _mehndi_ arrived and you won’t have to waste your time coming down here.”

Jack tried to fully concentrate on the small flower he was drawing, but he couldn’t help glancing sideways at the other man. The petals were coming along nicely, years upon years of running the flower shop and studying small bits of botany and plant anatomy making him perfectly able to correctly place the stamens and pistils. The drawing suddenly felt more like a biology class than just a regular doodle, but Jack didn’t mind as long as it helped to take his mind off of Reyes.

“Hey, Jackie,” McCree had walked a closer and was trying to peek what Jack was doing. “How are my lil’ brothers doing? Ana said they were gettin’ fat. You better not be planning something.”

“I would _not_ eat my chickens, Jesse,” Jack snapped at McCree, suddenly turning his head towards him. Jack was taken aback by the insinuation, there was no way in earth that he would even _consider_ ingesting his pets. “You of all people would know that!”

“Wait,” Gabriel’s voice had gotten closer, creeping up to Jack’s right side. “They’re _your_ chickens? I thought they were Ana’s.”

“Nah, pops,” Jesse smiled, noticing Jack’s sudden blush. “They’re Jackie’s, he takes good care of ‘em. He even let me name one!”

From the inside of Hanzo’s studio, a tattooed arm grabbed McCree by the collar of his shirt and forcefully tugged him back inside. Jack couldn’t help but giggle at the sight of Jesse’s face as he tried to balance himself to avoid falling backwards by Hanzo’s grip.

Reyes was right next to Jack, peeking over his shoulder.

“Good evening, Jack.” Gabriel’s breath hit too close to Jack’s face, and the blond shivered slightly. He had _no right_ to do that. “Glad to have you here for once.”

“Hello, Gabriel,” Jack’s voice came out forced. The man was thankful that Reyes wasn’t able to see his red face. The proximity was bothering him slightly. “It was weird not seeing you being a creep around the shop today.”

“Had a busy afternoon.” Gabriel’s voice still tickled his ear. “Sorry about the chicken thing. Didn’t think it would be a problem to bring them some food. It was that or risk squashing them.”

The thought of seeing one of his chicks splattered on the floor made Jack’s stomach turn, and his thoughts became slightly clearer. “Right, thank you for that image.” His response came out more harsh than what he intended, but Morrison couldn’t hide the discomfort.

“Come on, Jack. There’s no need to be like that.” Gabriel’s small huffing sent more shivers down Jack’s spine. “You know I wouldn’t hurt your pets.”

Jack had tensed up considerably. The fact that Reyes was one of the few men that he couldn’t take on in a fight and win easily didn’t make things any better. His mind was stuck in this constant shift of liking and wanting to be with him, then it went back to being wary of the man’s actions. He was only this paranoid when Hana brought dates over, mortified of the things that could go wrong if her partner turned out to be malicious.

Gabriel broke the silence. It had been short but uncomfortable enough. “You’re pretty good at drawing, I’ll give you that.” Reyes’ right hand hovered over the notepad. “What’s that flower called?”

Morrison swallowed hard, straightening his back and overall posture. “It’s a…” Jack had to look back at what he had drawn, his train of thought all over the place except on focusing on the activity he was doing. “Gardenia. Rather common.”

Reyes placed a heavy hand on Jack’s shoulder and the blond’s heart started racing. “Let me show you my flower designs,” Gabriel said with a slight smile and tipped his head towards the empty studio. “You will like at least one of them.”

Leaving aside the work that had brought him there, Jack followed Reyes without hesitation into the room, nervous, but not stupid enough to turn down the opportunity. He was unsure what to expect, but the room was simple and almost home-y. A single wooden desk was at the back of the room, papers sprawled over it, with some framed pictures that Jack couldn’t distinguish. The tattooing chair rested at the middle of the studio, black leather shining under the ceiling lights. Several cabinets that shared the desk’s same type of wood rested against the walls, the glass panels at their fronts allowing Jack to see all the materials and tools inside of them.

Gabriel went straight to his desk, Jack following slowly behind him. The other man took out a large sketchbook from one of the drawers and quickly flipped through it. From what Morrison could see of the quick glimpses of each page, Reyes was proficient at hyperrealism and busts.

Then, Gabriel stopped at a full picture of several sunflowers intertwined with small buds of blooming, red flowers. Jack touched the drawing softly, amazed by the colors and the perfection of the details. “Gabriel, this is amazing.” Morrison barely whispered, Reyes puffing his chest at the compliment, clearly glad that Jack was impressed by his creation. “Sunflowers are always a good omen, did you know? They’re all about unity and vitality.”

As they kept looking at Gabriel’s flower designs, Jack couldn’t help but go on a long tirade for each and every one of the flower’s meanings. He was in his element now, and his confidence was building up. It was also great seeing Gabriel impressed by everything he said. Jack, at one point, mentioned that tulips suited Gabriel, since they were usually related to people with a regal bearing and royalty. He also pointed out how the flowers were used to show love between family members, perfectly aware of how close Jesse and Gabriel were.

Jack completely ignored the part about passionate love, keeping it to himself and remaining quiet for a second too long.

Gabriel took advantage of this and cleared his throat."So what's the meaning of the one you were drawing?" Gabriel asked without, apparently, thinking too much about it, making Jack double take on the significance of Gardenias.

Morrison felt a single bead of sweat form on his forehead, mouth running dry.“I don’t really remember.”

His fourth lie.

Reyes’ eyebrows shot up and he crossed his arms, smelling the incongruence from a mile away. “Oh, come on, Jack. I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t just draw it out of nowhere.”

Jack was trapped. Finally the consequences of lying had caught up to him. Slow, not immediate, but they were there. Perhaps if he hadn’t lied the day they met this wouldn’t have happened at all. He needed to change the subject quickly, and do it smoothly too, just for the sake of at least leaving the situation unscathed.

Yet all he could think of were ways in which he could prolong the man’s company instead. “Do you want to go out for a drink?” His mouth worked by itself. Something inside his brain had decided to take action despite the indecision and fear. “I mean, as in tea. Or coffee, rather.” And then the panic set in. What if that had been too straightforward? The implication of a date was now out there in the open. Jack felt betrayed by his own mind. “Or water?”

It was only after Gabriel agreed to go that Jack realized Ana would be very pissed that he wasn’t going back to the shop. It wasn’t a busy day, but it would impose more work on her. Jack decided that a simple phone call would suffice to, at the very least, warn Ana about his sudden disappearance.

The dial sound beeped three times before someone picked up.

“Amori’s Solarium, what can we help you with?” Jack recognized Fareeha’s voice instantly, and wondered why she would be in the shop so early.

“Hello Fareeha, is Ana around?” Jack spoke sweetly, his care for the woman listening was very obvious. Gabriel, walking next to him, was quiet as a graveyard. “I need to talk to her.”

“Sure, Jack, just let me-” Her voice was cut short, the other side of the line suddenly filled with shuffling sounds and muffled screams. Jack didn’t have time to worry for anyone’s safety before Ana was on the line.

“Where are you? Decided to take a guided tour of the city?” The woman’s voice came with a snap and, behind her, Fareeha screamed at how rude she was being.

Jack couldn’t help but let out a nervous laugh and clear his throat afterwards.

“Yeah, about that” She wasn’t, in no way, her mother or any sort of higher figure but the guilt of letting her down made Jack doubt for a moment before continuing “I can’t come back to the shop today, _something_ came up.”

Jack saw Gabriel lean close, but wasn’t fast enough to understand what he wanted to do.

“We’re on a date!” Reyes shouted loud enough for people around them to turn around and look at them both. The line went silent, and Jack’s face flushed up immediately.

“Was that--” Ana’s shocked whisper made Morrison even more embarrassed “Jack Morrison are you ditching work to be with Gabriel right now?!”

Jack’s voice was drowned out by Reyes’ laugh and the Amari’s screaming, any attempt to improve the situation just failing miserably. Perhaps a call had been a bad idea, a text would have sufficed perfectly without the need to explain too much.

“Let’s talk tomorrow ok? Goodbye.” And with that, Jack ended the call and sealed his fate of being shot to death by Ana.    Turning towards Reyes, wiping tears of his eyes from laughing, Jack tried his best to look annoyed. “There was no need to say _that_ , she’s going to destroy me now.”

Gabriel waved him off nonchalantly, chuckling at the sight of Jack’s red face once again. The Amari team would probably tear him a new one, especially if she found out he had been the one to ask for a drink in the first place. Then blond also realized that he had barely said anything to Hanzo before they left, leaving the arrangement at the front counter without thinking too hard about it. The Shimada knew where the shop was anyways, so if there was any complaint he could take it to Ana. Another nail in the coffin for him, and probably a closed-casket funeral.

But when they sat down in the busy coffee shop, both ordering rather sweet drinks and Jack being impressed that Gabriel just didn’t want pure black coffee, Ana was the last thing Morrison was thinking about. She would murder him, but that was an issue for the future.

While he was glad to be having a small moment alone with Gabriel so quickly, his mind went blank and couldn’t really put together a single question to begin the conversation. Luckily for him, Gabriel was easy and smooth at them. In no time, he had warmed up to Jack and both were giggling like teens over dumb little jokes.

“What about your tattoos?” Jack suddenly asked, Gabriel’s expression turning to confusion in response. It was an inevitable question; there weren’t many parts of Reyes’ skin that were free of ink. “I mean, when did you get your first one?”

Gabriel laughed, deep and rich, before thinking for a few seconds. His hands rested on top of the table, and Jack could see a single skull ring on one of his thumbs. Jack couldn’t say he was surprised -- Reyes’ wardrobe was apparently full of references to death.

Gabriel shifted in his seat and showed Jack the back of his forearms: amongst skulls and flames were a matching pair of tattoos that resembled hands with intricate designs inside their outlines, an open eye staring from the middle of each palm. “First ones were these two,” Gabriel beamed, his white teeth slightly tainted brown by the coffee. “My family was awfully superstitious, and my mom always had these around in charms for protection. They’re called _hamsa_. Did them some months after I joined the military.”

“You were in the military?” The shock in Jack’s voice didn’t go unnoticed, and Reyes just kept smiling. Weird, finally one thing they had in common. “I also served very briefly.”

“No shit?” Gabriel placed his arms down again, his question also full of surprise. “Who would’ve thought, flower boy with a rifle.”

Jack took a bit of offense with that statement, so he decided to play his “rough” card.“Just so you know, I can manage a farm by myself,” the blond puffed out his chest as he spoke. “I’m an Indiana country boy, after all.”

“Oh really? I was stationed in Indiana for a little while. Maybe I _knew_ one of your cousins or brothers.” Gabriel’s intonation made Jack doubt on the implication of that word. He didn’t remember any of his family looking a lot like him, let alone a man being into men.

Then a small memory made him grow paler.“When, exactly, were you stationed at Indiana?”  
“A while ago, during summer. Why?”Gabriel crossed his arms and squinted at Jack, curious at the sudden interest.“Well,” Reyes continued, not giving Morrison a chance to react, “now that you mention it, did you know a guy named John? I gave him my number.” Gabriel moved the coffee remains around the cup, eyes fixed on Jack. “I guess he looked a lot like you, but all of you farm boys are pretty alike.”

With that name, Morrison’s chest tightened.

Once, decades back, Jack had met a soldier that was just his age during one of his visits to the local grocer. The young man’s sharp features had caught his attention, and his uniform fit perfectly, so it was a double dose of young heat to spark his hormones. After the other man flirted shamelessly, making him blush non-stop, Jack had given him his number.

Who would’ve thought.

At the very least he owed a little bit of truth to Gabriel.

“When I was twenty, I wanted to join the military to serve.” Jack began, quietly “Didn’t really have the nerve to do it, that kind of change was very big for me. And I honestly wasn’t going to; the farm was a comfortable place to be and it served as a good source of work.”

Jack looked briefly at Gabriel, who was just staring at him seriously. The blond wondered if he was piecing two and two together. "Then I met a very nice soldier who encouraged me to pursue the military,” Jack continued, smiling at the old memory. “He said that it was a great opportunity, one he would always cherish.”

Reyes’ jaw clenched, his adam’s apple bobbing up and down.

There it was, acknowledgment.

“I enlisted a week after. Packed very little into a bag and never looked back." Jack's voice came out rough, the coffee finished a long time ago. "My father always said that I wouldn't do it, and I almost believed him. You came by and, well, that little push worked a lot."

Silence fell over both of them, neither really daring to continue. Jack was just waiting for the most obvious question: _Why the name?_ He dreaded the moment where he needed to explain why not just resort to being called junior, if his father’s name wasn’t honorable enough. Why lie to everyone about something as crucial as your name?

But it never came. Gabriel didn’t ask for an explanation. He didn’t push more than needed, even if it would be very obvious that that was the rational thing to do. Amazingly, he didn’t leave, either. In a pleasant turn of events, Reyes smiled sweetly towards Jack.

“Do you want to go for dinner?” he asked, Jack’s eyes growing big. “Not right now, of course. But maybe tomorrow? I know a good place.”

Jack’s first instinct was to scream in agreement, but then doubt came once again. He had lied to Reyes twice already and he was still there, no punishment in sight yet. Saying yes right away, and therefore staying brutally honest, wasn’t a good move either. Being needy and terribly available was never good.

“Maybe tomorrow,” Jack agreed, cheeks burning. Gabriel’s smile and smugness convinced the blond that his intentions to remain casual had failed terribly.

When the waitress came by to check up on them, Gabriel happily ordered a slice of apple pie with ice cream for the both of them. Jack wondered if a third striking lie would be his out, or the way he would end up screwing over a _possibly_ amazing thing with a _hopefully_ amazing man.

A quick, regretful thought was all he could manage before the dessert came to the table: _‘Lying about that flower will come to bite me in the ass’_ .


	3. The Toll of Parenting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Revenge somehow makes Reyes invite Jack to a nice dinner date. The next day, a certain blond gets tattoed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are important things in the end notes so please read!

_My childhood is a well of absent beings_  
_that I wish to have._  
  
_I want to recover all my dead ones_ _  
from what I don’t know about them._

* * *

 The very few things he knew about horticulture were stored in old memories of warm vacations with his mother. It was, after all, the only hobby she really had for the off days. Her rose bushes had been an ever present topic of conversation among her co workers, a clear sign that the other men and women were amazed at the care and love put in the flowers that bloomed every summer. The plants were her pride and joy, and Gabriel felt proud when she asked him for help.

The last summer they spent together, Reyes had been clipping the roses that were ready and placing them into a basket. His mother was on the phone, holding a tray of lemonade and lemon bars. She had a strong sour tooth, in contrast to Reyes’ sweeter tastes. He could hear her conversation, talking loudly about _Arthur Bells_ and _Montanas_ , trying to make dinner plans for the week, sending love to her friend’s family. That boring day was his most cherished memory, the common stereotype of a perfect picnic scene in a romantic movie: birds were singing, the sun up in the sky warmed any form of cold that the coming winter winds could bring, children played and laughed, couples held hands and kissed.

Now, almost thirty years later, he was missing out on a day that resembled that panorama. A perfect weather, happy people outside, dying trees that marked the coming of autumn. Nature’s song came and went. Somewhere in the parlor, Jesse’s loud laugh could be heard as Hanzo threatened him for the fourth time that day; a clear sign that they both were in good spirits, or at least in a stable enough mood to carry on with their usual interactions.

The smell of coffee and freshly baked bread coming from under the door was the signal for Gabriel to walk out, but he remained locked up in his studio. Staring at his computer screen, grinning like a madman. A white sheet of paper spinning under his finger, trapped against the wooden table. On it, the drawing of a flower. The force of Reyes’ fingers could be a potential threat if the petals were real. The notepad had been left out in the open, right on top of the front counter, just there for Gabriel to find a couple of days after he had a _date_ with Morrison.

Hanzo had scoffed at Reyes when he asked - _pestered_ , was what the Shimada would’ve said- what Gardenias meant, perfectly aware that he would know. The Shimada, in return, faked ignorance on the meaning of the flower, apparently covering up for Jack. Since both had failed to be clear about it, a simple research would have to do. Gabriel kept smiling openly, both content and amazed, as he re-read the small extract of what the sketched flower meant:

_The Gardenia is a genus of flowering plants in the coffea family, Rubiaceae, native to the tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Asia, Madagascar and Pacific Islands [...] These flowers are very commonly used in arrangements for new couples or given as a token to that special lover, since they typically symbolize purity and sweetness, indicate secret love and convey joy._

“The cocky bastard” Gabriel said with a loud chuckle “he lied straight to my face, just out of convenience.”    

Over the course of the past week Gabriel had been building up an image of Jack when spending time inside the shop, one that was suddenly being shaken. Apparently Morrison was not a correct, _straight_ line all the time. Reyes had been hoping that the innocent charm of his was a sham, and the fake ignorance on the flower’s meaning made him want to know what else the blond could be keeping from him.The prospect of a goody two shoes being rotten on the inside filled him with adrenaline.

However, as much as he liked the idea of a sneaky Jack, nobody lied to Gabriel Reyes so nonchalantly and matter-of-factly.

Hanzo would be easy to take care of. Despite of being part of the overall lie, Gabriel couldn't go hard on the Shimada since it wouldn’t be beneficial for business. Hanzo was an angry man by himself already, and if Reyes gave him more reasons to worsen his mood then it would simply be chaos. However, giving Jesse a little bit more freedom for a couple days on how he could behave around the shop could be enough to make Hanzo lose his mind and not destroy the parlor in the process. McCree would pay for it, but it was a controlled risk.  

Morrison would be trickier to get. Reyes wanted to go all out revenge, yet not bad enough to make him run away in fear. His smile never faltered while he made a simple phone call to a _friend_ , part of the large amount of contacts he had made in years of doing tattoos. Then a little convincing for Ana, making her a small accomplice and share the blame of any complaint Jack could have. The plan was to teach him a little bit of humility while bringing out the classic charm that Gabriel had, confident enough that he could swoon the country boy.

Two walk-ins kept Reyes busy the rest of the afternoon. Easy, simple designs and nice people that could make conversations improved his mood, yet his head was still planning on how to actually impress Jack in a way that the blond wouldn’t have an option but to get with him. Gabriel wanted Morrison to make the move by himself, while giving a lot of incentives and small teases. Any form of proposition to even spend more time together would be very welcome. He would gladly follow If Jack was the one to start anything. Reyes felt that his boundaries were wide enough to accommodate anything Jack threw his way. The blond looked very vanilla, after all.

When the sun started to set, Gabriel got out of the parlor and went on his way.

Every step he took towards the flower shop increased a weird sensation of unease building inside his chest. It felt awfully familiar, and threw Reyes into an old memory of Jesse’s  surprise birthday party. A small, cowboy themed get-together with his very reduced circle of friends. Way back when Jesse was turning fifteen, just a year after he had taken Jesse in, Reyes was already convinced on how good that decision had been. The first months had been difficult, the boy barely trusting him and constantly running away to return beaten and bruised, but he warmed up to Gabriel eventually.

The same voice had spoken to him at that time, while he had been hanging movie posters showing deserts and wild horses. It repeated a message stored in his memories. _‘Ay Gabo, don’t go tricking people. Being straightforward is always the correct way to live, you keep yourself clear as the summer sky and the other person will trust you.’_ His mother had always been a fan of telling the truth, be it uncomfortable or beneficial. The amount of times Gabriel had gotten in trouble for being brutally honest was astonishing, but in the end it had been worth it. He was content with his current life, having a steady job and a loving family. Maybe a little bit lonely in the romance department, but Jack could help him with that.

Brought back by the smell of lemons, right in front of the shop, Gabriel opened the door and braced for the chicken attack. The small animals now associated him with treats, so the moment he was in the shop then it meant food would be with him. He would never really say it out loud, but Gabriel had grown to like the chicks and their attention. In a way, they reminded him of Jesse in his good days: everywhere at once and loud as all hell. Sadly, in that visit he was the one looking for a piece of bread, not there to provide it, so Reyes shooed the chicks and they ran towards Hana who was helping out an older client.

Locating Jack was easy thanks to his height and golden hair. The man was oblivious, fixing ornaments in a shelf and making small talk with Fareeha, and looking amazing in a polo shirt that clung very well to his strong frame. Weirdly, the shop’s apron was missing. Gabriel had to double-check his clothes to see if he was presentable, not that it mattered anymore since he was already there. Just a simple black button up shirt with rolled up sleeves, dark grey pants, black boots. The usual get-up.

“Good evening Reyes” Ana’s voice made Gabriel’s head snap to the right, the woman smiling widely. “Are you here for _business_?”

Farehaa, who was facing the door while talking with Morrison, picked up on his sudden presence and nodded as a greeting. Gabriel wondered if Ana had shared his request with her, probably scheming to get back at him sooner than later.

_Don’t always expect the worst from people, Gabriel._

He shook his head to dissipate the words from his mother. The woman had stopped being so insistent and present in his mind for almost a decade now, and this sudden reappearance was taking Gabriel by surprise. He only hope that the woman meant well, and was not an omen of bad things to come.

Ana’s raised eyebrow made him zone into the present again.

“You already know I owe you one with this, Grandma” Reyes nodded as he spoke “So don’t push it.”

The woman carefully rearranged a small set of teacups that were in front of her, not looking straight at Gabriel anymore “Watch it, I could spoil the surprise for you”

The sound of boots alerted Gabriel to Fareeha’s coming. The woman came off as intimidating and dangerous, which was great for her work as head of security in a hospital. Mother and daughter were very alike their demeanors were full of poise and grace, and thanks to Jesse’s long-term friendship with her, Gabriel knew that there was more to Fareeha than an angry face. It had been an interesting coincidence that, many years later, Reyes would find himself befriending the mother of one of Jesse’s dearest friends.

Fareeha, barely glancing towards Gabriel, placed down a large bouquet of red and golden roses in front of her mother. Reyes felt his throat tighten, the flowers being awfully familiar to him. His mother was testing him again, and she needed to stop being so pushy.

“Good evening, Mr. Reyes.” She nodded along with the greeting “Are you here to stalk? It’s a little late for your usual snooping.”

Before Gabriel could answer, Jack came along right behind Fareeha and placed an almost identical arrangement of roses on the counter. He smiled as soon as he saw Reyes, making his stomach flutter. The yellow, blue and white were doing its part, even if Gabriel had never been a man to openly enjoy bright colors. Their amount of light could easily blind and confuse, two things that needlessly clouded a man’s judgement.

“Heya Gabriel” Jack spoke enthusiastically “Need anything for the parlor?”

Reyes ignored the silent giggles from Ana and cleared his throat with a hearty cough.

“Not this time, Jack. I’m not here on business.”

Jack smiled openly, as he took one of the yellow roses and handed it to Reyes. It was almost painfully obvious that Morrison was in a great mood. The blond’s eyes quickly, shamelessly, assessed Gabriel’s body with his smile never faltering.  

“You know Gabe, I know you like black but you’d look great in red” his voice vibrated with the beginning of a laugh “You should wear a bit more color, it would suit you really well.”

Red _was_ one of his preferred colors, yet he barely used it thanks to its rather cruel significance in history. Besides, black was slimming and easy to combine. Reyes looked at the flower in his hand, and agreed that it would look good as an accessory on a red dress shirt if he ever wore one. Shaking his head, he straightened himself. Gabriel wasn’t there to be charmed by Morrison, even if his blush was clear as day. This time he was the one trying to impress the flower boy.

“Listen here Jack, we’re going out.” Direct and to the point, no need to go around beating bushes. “You and me, right now.”

That cleared the smile from Jack’s face instantly. Gabriel swallowed hard.

“What are you talking about?” Morrison’s voice was cautious “I got work to do here.”

Ana took her chance, and drifted attention towards herself. Both men turned towards her and Gabriel hoped that she wasn’t going to blow it up. He had placed a lot of trust in Amari, and that could prove to be a fatal mistake.

“No you don’t, you’re temporarily fired for the afternoon.” She said, casually, and Reyes’s mouth curled upwards “As co-owner I can make you stop working and actually have a life for a day.”

As Jack looked around in shock, probably not knowing what to say, Ana winked quickly towards Gabriel. Yet he couldn’t risk it, any moment where he allowed Jack to think things through properly could be the end, a strong rejection without hope for remedy. He needed Morrison to just escape a while with him, nothing more and nothing else. At least that was the proposition.

Leaving the flower on the counter, Reyes made a simple move that could’ve been taken badly if the other man wasn’t interested: He held his hand, and tugged.

“Come on Jack, it’ll be just this once.” Gabriel, with a smile, encouraged the blond “Or are you gonna leave me hanging?”

Hesitation crossed the other man’s face before sighing and shrugging, defeated. Jack just whispered a _fine_ , while a smile started to form. Perhaps he wasn’t used to being taken out like that, and Gabriel was being pushy, as a certain woman he used to know and love. Ana and Fareeha said farewell casually, while Hana screamed a _be safe_ from the back of the shop. Reyes saw some hesitation as the door closed, perhaps doubting leaving the young lady like that.

Gabriel didn’t really figure out If it had been that, since the cold of the evening brought attention to the fact that they were still holding hands. He made no comment about it, and they walked in silence for a minute until Jack asked how his day had been. Gabriel began telling him about Doña and her weird eating manias, how he had eaten breakfast with Jesse and suffered another monologue about what he should do to get Hanzo to like him, then tending the shop and tattooing some clients with doubtful designs. When Gabriel asked back, genuinely curious about Jack’s day and feeling giddy with the constant reminder of their hands holding each other, Jack’s face lit up in a smile.  

He explained how most of his day had been spent with Hana at the shop. Jack giggled and laughed while just describing how both of them just talked and hanged around each other since business had been slow. At one point he paused and apologized, simply saying that his day wasn’t eventful, but that he enjoyed Hana’s company greatly. Jack continued to explain, lowering his voice, that she had been very active lately playing a small part in a play at the university, meaning that she had been away for a good part of the week. While his voice was quiet, Gabriel recognized pride in it.

Reyes let him continue talking, but Jack slowly became quieter and quieter and the grip of his hand tightened. Finally noticing after a rather long while, the blonde looked down to their hands and blushed, but didn’t say anything. Gabriel almost smiled, considering that a victory, until he realized that they were starting to tread into sketchier territories. It had been his plan, after all, to avoid taking a car and walk slowly towards their destination, making Jack painfully aware of the part of town they were visiting. But seeing Jack jump when a loud noise or car passed by them, or shifting his eyes around every corner, made Reyes second guess his decision. It wasn’t fair to Jack, to be scared just for the sake of getting back to him for a simple lie. Perhaps his mother had been right and what was needed wasn’t revenge, but a simple prank.

_‘Too late_ ,’ Gabriel thought as they rounded a corner and , ‘ _we’re already here. I’ll apologize later.’_

He felt even worse when, after reaching the front door of their destination, a security guard just slightly taller and more muscular than the both of them faced Gabriel in a challenging manner. He could feel the grip on his hand tightening to the point of almost being painfully, and then the beginning of Jack’s movement forward, towards the bouncer.

Reyes needed to defuse the situation. He didn’t count on Jack becoming protective and actually going to defend _him_ , out of all people. Gabriel was flattered, but this was not the place to act as the golden soldier. In an attempt to calm the mood, he quickly held out his free hand.

“What’s up Dale?” Reyes smiled, widening his eyes for the man to understand that the jig was done “Thanks for coming out and greeting me, it’s been a while man.”

Dale raised an eyebrow, side glancing Jack, but shrugging in the end. Gabriel sighed quietly in relief. Despite the bad planning, things were coming along not as disastrous as he feared. Reyes thanked any deity that looked over him for the fact that Dale wasn’t talkative that day, and let them inside without much conversation.

"You know Jack” Gabriel tried to lighten the mood, pulling him closer “We used to call him Pyro Jenkins back in the day, he went around with a lighter and a spray deodorant killing flies and saying they were Wendigos"

Jack’s hand relaxed, Gabriel knowing that the reference went straight over his head and the absurdity would take his mind away from the stress of his situation. The blond’s demeanor was, however, still in high alert as Reyes opened up the door.

Then, shock on his face.

“A restaurant?” Jack’s shoulders dropped, the start of a smile curving up his lips slightly.

“What, did you think I was bringing you to a gang initiation?”

The building had once been an empty warehouse. The two owners, an old married couple that Gabriel had known for decades, had completely remodeled it into a warm restaurant with two floors, a bar and a small stage for live music. The walls were of dark wood, with several paintings hanging from them. In most of the corners there were pillars of white cement that were decorated with creeping ivy. Tables were arranged all around the first floor, the second being an area reserved for parties or special occasions. The empowering smell of spices and meat hit them like a truck, making Gabriel’s mouth water. He adored the restaurant, it was a very special place for him since their menu had an overwhelming amount of foods from all over South America. It made him feel a little bit at home, the affluence of cultures and flavors brought him straight back to his old neighborhood.

As they walked towards the table he had asked for, just a few steps away from the bar and under a colorful portrait of Frida Kahlo, he noticed how Jack was observing every single detail with delight, and swaying softly along with the soft chords of an instrumental guitar being played over the speakers.

The menus were already on the table, the glasses filled with ice water. Jack picked up the menu as he sat down, but didn’t open it. Gabriel didn’t even need to see the menu.

“You planned this” Jack’s voice came stern, questioning with his eyebrows raised.

Reyes chuckled, crossing his legs under the table and taking a sip of the water **.**

“Are you allergic to anything, Jack?”

Jack’s voice was cautious, slow, measuring if there was an actual good answer.

“Not that I’m aware of”

The waiter walked up to the table, greeting them nicely and taking out a small notepad to take their orders. Perfectly timed. He wanted to keep Jack as wary as he could at least until the entrées and drinks arrived

Reyes cleared his throat. Time to charm that ray of sunshine in front of him.

“Mira flaco, de entrada me vas a traer un plato de chilaquiles y una ración de patacones con mostaza, salsa rosada y un platico de queso rallado, con un par de frías para tomar.” Gabriel spoke fast, enjoying the clear confusion on Jack’s face. “De plato principal me traes una parrilla mar y tierra pequeña con tacos al pastor y ensalada de gallina, con guasacaca extra.”

Reyes tried his best not to laugh out loud when Jack’s confusion started to look more like panic, the blond was shaking his head slowly while his mouth hung open.

“De postre, una tres leches y un quesillo.” He finished, pleased with himself.

The waiter giggled at the desserts, shaking his head in an approving way. Reyes laughed with him, glad that the young man understood the innuendo, and then gave him a wink when he excused himself towards the kitchen.

“Now, where were we?” Back to english, Gabriel smiled smugly.

“I’m really hoping all of that was food, and not an intricate plan to fuck something up.”

Jack being accidentally funny was something Reyes didn’t expect, so his laughter came out a bit too loud.

He tried to make small talk with the blond to lighten the mood, but the other man was still wary of the place and all the hiding Gabriel had put up. Starting a conversation about Hana felt too personal, and flowers had started this whole mess in the first place. He should’ve thought the night through better, or at least pick a list of things Jack would’ve liked to talk about. Maybe he was into sports? Morrison looked like the type of guy to have played football in high school. Gabriel didn’t necessarily know a lot about football, but he surely had a nasty habit of debating that soccer was the real football, and english switched up the terms to fuck with people. Perhaps sports was also a bad topic.

Luckily, food saved him.

Reyes was prepared to convince and talk Jack into eating, but the blond went on by himself and grabbed a single slice of the fried plantain servings and bit enthusiastically into it. For once, Gabriel did plan something: no spices. There was no need to destroy Jack’s mouth or stomach. It would be hilarious, sure, but not at the start of a potential relationship. If things continued well, then Jack would need to be careful of a very hot surprise in his food. After the third patacon, Jack was clearly warming up to the entrees and Gabriel handed him a small piece of tortilla with beans and vegetables to Jack, trying his luck. For Morrison it was probably a simple thing, to try and like new food, but for Reyes the acceptance of _his_ food meant a great deal. Jack looked genuinely happy while wiping his hands clean off a mess of sauce and little bits of lettuce.

When the barbeque came along, Reyes was already confident that Jack would be trusting him, and he would actually enjoy the food _and_ his company. Three beers in and Jack was finally openly laughing and making small jokes, sometimes reaching out to touch Gabriel’s hand over the table. Only after they had finished the food completely was when Reyes returned the gesture, grabbing Jack’s hand when the blond leaned forward to try and go for another touch. The waiter came and went, Gabriel lost in Jack’s ramblings about how weird some of his clients could be about their flower picks yet came everyday and smelled everything, ignoring their alleged mortal allergies. Reyes wouldn’t have cared at all for the story, but for him Jack was something else.

The desserts went right over Gabriel’s head. He hoped, perhaps a little bit too late, that Jack wasn’t lactose intolerant, since the small cake was primarily made of three types of milk and a lot of sugar. He was confident in the flan though, the soft bitterness of the almost burned caramel that accompanied its raw sweetness was his particular favorite. A couple more beers were downed by the time they were finished with the two desserts and the bill came around. One of Reyes’ dating rules was that, if he had been the one making the move,  then the bill was for him to pay on the first date. Something he would be more than glad to do for Jack, but the blond refused sternly.

Out of all things, Morrison fought for the bill.

“Come on Gabe,” The smile wore off, only a small crease in his forehead told Gabriel that he was starting to be slightly annoyed. “at least let me pay the desserts.”

The mood had soured, if only by a tiny margin. Money wasn’t exactly a problem for any of them, that much Reyes knew. Was Jack being prideful? The only downside of liking men was that sometimes their ego got in the way of small, simple gestures that were absolutely harmless. Paying for dinner, for example. This small bump in the night wasn’t ruining Gabriel’s giddy feeling at all, quite the contrary in fact. He decided to take another one of his mother’s advices and, for the first time in a while, he _yielded_. That, however, didn’t mean Jack would get off that easily.

Reyes’ words came out playfully out of his grinning mouth, hand stroking his goatee.

“Jack, are you saying you want to pay for my _tres leches_?”

The waiter, tending the table next to them, howled and excused himself to run back to the kitchen, hysterically laughing on his way. Gabriel leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms while enjoying the teasing a little bit too much.

“I’m a decent lady, Jack,” Reyes continued “But for you I might make an exception”

The blond rolled his eyes and shook his head.

“Fuck off, Reyes.”

Jack smashed some bills on the table, trying to hide the content on his face. Making Jack smile dumbly again was a victory enough for him, so Gabriel didn’t fight back and decided to simply finish the last drops of his beer before finally standing up. He would rather stay there for hours, just making idle chat with Jack, but they both needed to work the next day and it was getting late. Add to the mix that the side of town they were in wasn’t known for its security, and you had a slightly concerned Reyes.

The panicky thoughts were pushed aside, or rather obliterated completely, when he felt Jack’s arms wrapping around his right bicep. The man wobbled at his side, giggling incessantly and clearly on the tipsy side of the drunk spectrum.

“I’m cold and dizzy, Gabe” Jack said softly, his head resting on Reyes’ shoulder “so bear with me for a little, just like this.”

_I could stay like this for days, Jackie,_ Gabriel thought yet didn’t say. Instead, he laughed and kept going in silence, enjoying how the other man’s body heat felt against the cold night. They walked into the street of Jack’s flower shop, the traveling time suddenly feeling way shorter. Next to him, still clinging, Jack sighed.

“You know, I want a tattoo” Jack said suddenly, gripping Gabriel’s arm. “Do you think you could, you know, do it for me? I’d be ok if it was you.”

Two conflicting emotions arose. The trust that Jack suddenly threw his was heartwarming and he would’ve said yes on impulse, but his work ethics kicked up instantly and slapped him in the face.  

“Right now?” Gabriel questioned “I don’t think so. You’re drunk.”

“No god, not right now.” Jack replied with a laugh “But maybe, I don’t know, tomorrow?”

Gabriel nodded, satisfied that Morrison’s logical side was intact in spite of the alcohol.

“It’s a date then” Gabriel said, but then reeled back instantly “An appointment, I mean. An appointment at three in the afternoon?”

Jack laughed, the sound rich and close to Gabriel’s ear. The faint smell of caramel still present in the blond’s breath. The flower shop was to their right now, lights dimmed but still on, meaning that someone was still inside. The arms around him reluctantly let go, the slow caress not going unnoticed by Gabriel.

Jack nodded and smiled. “It’s a date.”

They both had seen enough movies and series to know what should go next. A timeless cliche that still held up perfectly. Gabriel would be lying if he said he wasn’t itching to just grab Jack and kiss him, but he had already committed to not rushing anything. The old dilemma of going for what he wants against what he actually needs to do.  Steeling himself, he tried to be at peace with the fact that Jack was worth any kind of wait. Yet he couldn’t leave the blond just like that, so he leaned over and kissed his cheek, hand caressing the other side of Jack’s face softly, before walking away from the shop.

If Gabriel were the kind of mind to do so, he would be prancing and singing towards his home. Instead, he relished in the warm sensation running through his body and smiled widely to himself. He needed to share his thoughts with someone, but good things should never be mentioned before they actually happen concretely. That’s why spoke shyly to the memories of his mother, seeking a trusting confident.

_“You would like him, ma._ Gabriel thought, almost sure that he was correct on the assumption _“Maybe he’s a little bit too white for you, but put a bullet through my head if he’s not the man for me.”_

Needless to say, that Reyes slept soundly that night.

The next day, however, he was fidgety and nervous. A bad combination for someone who had to treat skin carefully to avoid a permanent shame. It was awfully hard to consider Jack just another client when there was the possibility of having _benefits_ with him. He didn’t like playing it careful and safe, all the restraining felt dumb to him, but Reyes always ended up scaring away potential love interests by not measuring his actions.

Not this time.

When 3:00 pm rolled around Gabriel was almost sweating bullets of anticipation. _Just a client Gabe_ , he tried to reassure himself, _one you have the hots for. That’s it._ He was somehow thankful that the three prior walk-ins had asked for designs with heavy blacks and thick lines, for his hands were not ready to be extremely delicate. If anyone with that specific design request arrived, then it would have to be Hanzo’s work.

Reyes was looking around his studio, trying to see if anything was out of place even after carefully cleaning up, when Jack opened the door and walked in. Gabriel’s stomach fluttered, but his previous anxiety calmed down as the blond greeted him with a wave and smile. It was a reverse _calm before the storm_ situation: the expectation of doing badly and harming Jack was damaging him to the point of madness, but with him there and present his mind had to do a double take and reset itself. Gabriel was a professional and had been in that line of work for almost two decades, there was no need to be anxious. If anything, Reyes would only give Jack the best tattoo of his damn life, and that only helped to cheer him up.

“Hey Gabe” Jack said, remaining close to the door after closing it.

Gabriel took a seat next to the tattooing chair, holding his knees tightly.

“Good afternoon Jack” he greeted “How did you... Sleep last night?”

“Amazing” The blond’s reply was instant “I had a lot of fun yesterday, Gabe.”

Reyes swallowed hard, his content rising to the roof. _Play it cool_.

“Me too, we should do it again.” Gabriel’s voice came out with enough excitement to embarrass him. Time to focus on the task. “But business. What do you want on your skin?”

Jack fidgeted, but eventually he took out a folded piece of paper and handed it to Gabriel. He hadn’t stopped to think what Jack would like to get tattooed, more concerned with him actually being there, so he didn’t know what to expect out of his design. He should’ve seen it coming, though. A pleasant bed of flowers and green leaves were carefully drawn on the paper, Gabriel only recognizing daisies out of the three kinds that Jack had chosen. It looked as if it had been taken out of an old-school children’s book, the details and placement of the plants reminiscing of a wild patch of flowers that could be found out in the wilderness.

“This is really good, Jack” Gabriel said gladly, not having to lie about any design choices for the first time that day “But where do you want it?”

“Actually, this tattoo it’s more of… a cover up.” Jack’s eyes moved away from Gabriel as he talked “And it’s not really out in the open, but it’s embarrassing enough to, you know, don’t want it anymore.”

“Ok, you got my attention” Gabriel responded, leaning back on his chair. “Show me.”

Jack reluctantly unfastened his pants, and pulled them down. Underneath he was wearing a pair of dark blue gym shorts that barely covered anything. _Booty shorts_ , was the only thing he could think of, _Jack wears gym booty shorts_. Gabriel didn’t have much time to process what the blond had done, when his eyes focused immediately in a weird drawing of a small blob that decorated the upper side of Jack’s right thigh.

Gabriel got closer to the blond’s leg, his fingers running carefully over Jack’s skin as if it could clear up the weird, fuzzy image. He was surprised to find that Morrison was actually hairless, and his skin was terribly soft and clear.

“Is that…” Gabriel felt the urge to laugh “Is that an ear of corn.”

“Listen.” Jack snapped back, talking rapidly. “I was 21, my friends took me out for drinks and we got quite intoxicated ok? One of my friend’s friends knew how to tattoo and had a machine at her apartment. It was a dumb joke. They always called me cornbread since I was the only one not from the city, so we figured it would be a great idea.”

Gabriel laughed, and patted the tattooing chair next to him. There was no need for snarkiness or prank at that moment, he needed to be professional. Specially for the shorts.

“Come here, I got an idea”

Gabriel waited for Jack to get settled and comfortable, he had folded his pants neatly and placed them on top of his crotch. _A pity_ , Reyes thought, but tried not to dwell too long on it. He rolled towards one of his cabinets, pulling out the papers and pens he needed for the tracing of the stencil.  

“What we’re gonna do” Gabriel started, rolling back towards Jack “is tweak your design just a bit to make that horrible corn into something decent ok?”

Morrison sighed quietly when Reyes placed the tracing paper on Jack’s skin to get a good look at the size of the terrible tattoo, drawing a circle on the page, then removing it to begin outlining Jack’s design. Gabriel concentrated, and was slightly amused to feel the blond staring intently at him while he drew. After the flowers and leaves were properly traced, Reyes gripped Jack’s thigh and tried to recreate the overall form of the corn ear. Then, he began to draw a small sleeping chicken in the middle of the flower bed. It would work, at least in his head, and he desperately hoped that Jack would like it.

“What do you think?” Gabriel asked carefully, rolling the paper towards Jack “I just figured, you know, because of the chicks in the store and-”

“I love it.” Jack’s eyes lit up, never leaving the drawing “Gabriel I love it so much.”

Reyes straightened his posture, proud and content.

“Very well then, let’s start the setup” he said to the blond before reaching out for his tools.

From the small table next to the chair Gabriel grabbed an unused razor and both of his tattooing machines. He shaved Jack’s thigh around the area to be tattooed, feeling slightly redundant to do so since, again, Jack was basically hairless. He proceeded to rub soap water slowly, maybe being too thorough with the pressure and slow movements. Perhaps taking a small chance to indulge himself. After that, he applied the stencil.

“Now I’ll place the ink in these caps and the clean needles into the machine.” Gabriel explained, trying to make Jack relax with the description and showing him the matte black machine that he used for lining “This cup has pure distilled water that I will use to clean the needles while tattooing.

He made sure Jack was following his movements. Reyes knew first-hand that explaining thoroughly how the process was going to develop and being crystal clear on how most of the machines work was an easy pass for the client to trust the artist.

“This ointment” he continued after preparing the tattooing machine, showing Jack the small bottle full of clear cream “will make the needles move smoothly.”

Reyes saw how Jack gripped the chair and touched his naked leg to reassure him.

“If you're nervous, just breathe slowly and deep, ok?” Gabriel smiled “It’s not too bad, this time you’ll be getting a proper treatment.”

The machine came to life, and Jack tensed up considerably when the first line was started. They remained in a forced silence for at least a couple of minutes, Gabriel letting the blond be in pain as his skin got used to the pinching and abuse. After a while, Reyes saw and heard Jack relaxing, but wincing at times when a puncture stung more than the others, his expression making Gabriel chuckle. He would’ve thought that Morrison would run away after the first ten minutes, but he could take it _like a champ_. The thought made Reyes bite on his lip, fighting off the needless snickering and an inevitable need to continue developing that idea for more personal reasons.

“You know, Jesse kept saying that I was super lucky by being _inked_ by you.” Jack said casually after a long stretch of silence “McCree is very fond of you, Gabe. He talks highly of you, at least to Ana and Fareeha, yet you’re quite harsh with him most of the time.” he continued, his voice slightly altered, the pain starting to get to him. “Shouldn’t you cut him some slack?”

Gabriel took his time to properly answer, first paying attention to his job: the tattoo had many short and thin lines, which meant that the tracing wasn’t that much of a tough time. Jack’s skin held up surprisingly well, neither bleeding too much nor resisting the needles. If Morrison ever wanted to get completely tattooed he would make a great canvas, and Gabe would most _definitely_ offer to be his only artist. The whirring of the inking machine stopped as Reyes moved his hand away from Jack’s skin, wiping away blood and ink. The traces were perfect, as expected.

Gabriel left aside the black machine and grabbed a grey one, used only to apply colors. He didn’t bother to explain the process again, since Jack was comfortable enough to make conversation.

The blond’s question didn’t set immediately, his mind wondering what Jack meant with being _harsh_. Jesse was a rather active man, his energy never faltering and his mind flying around everywhere. McCree had always needed a leash to keep him grounded, and Reyes was happy to provide one if that meant he could help his son achieve more productive things, while never hindering his personality. Gabriel instantly remembered how quickly he obliged when Jesse had asked to get into music, but immediately had to restrain any form of idiocy when one day the younger man walked in with the idea of forming a one-man band and making a special set-up with five different instruments.

His mother would’ve loved that idiot of his.

Reyes looked briefly towards Jack, wondering if it was a good choice to share his mind. Gabriel stopped his hand before even starting to color, his eyes becoming serious and making the blond feel surprised by the sudden change. The machine started, and Jack winced at the stinging pain.

"If you ever tell him I said this, you're a dead man." Gabriel started "In fact, I shouldn’t even be telling you this, but that kid was a blessing. A god damned miracle inside a dumpster. At first I didn't think it would be a big thing, he was just a misguided runt running away from trouble. But you see things, Jack.

Gabriel colored quickly and firmly in purple first, since most of the flowers were of that color in Jack’s drawing.

"Like how patient he is, how understanding and unafraid of learning.” Reyes continued, eyes focused on his job, small droplets of blood against white skin. “Sure, as a kid he was impossible to keep calmed, but he had- he _has_ a warm soul. That kid changed my life and I don't care about blood relation, he is my _son_ . I raised that lil’ fucker, and I'm sure as hell mom would be proud of his grandson. I love Jesse McCree, _mis muertos lo saben_.

Gabriel changed to yellow for the daisies and the chicken, taking a small moment for the skin to breathe and get his thoughts calmed.

“That’s why I don’t _cut him some slack_. If I do, I would fail him as a parent.”

Jack remained silent while Reyes finished the tattoo and carefully applied any extra touches. Without boasting, he was incredibly proud of the end product. Jack’s skin absorbed the color very nicely so everything looked vibrant and alive. Leaving aside his grey tool, Gabriel straightened up and stretched.

“Looking good?” He questioned, hoping that it lived to expectations.

Jack nodded, his face between solemn and content.

“Better than perfect.”

Gabriel applied a layer of ointment to the tattoo to protect it from any form of bacteria in the air that could cause infection. Then he placed a bandage and tape to make sure it’s secured. He made sure to tell Jack to go straight home and take it ease for the day, he had a big wound in his leg now, after all. He specifically told him to remove the bandage at home after a couple hours and then handed him a small pamphlet for the aftercare, along with his personal number for any form of _emergency_.

Jack silently nodded as he stood, put up his pants slowly and walked towards the door. Gabriel didn’t really think much of it, sometimes the body of a client would tell their brain that they were sick or feeling bad because of the invasive procedure, so a change in mood wasn’t uncommon. However, Jack remained standing in front of the door.

“Why did you invite me out yesterday, all of a sudden?” The blond asked very quietly, not even turning around to face Reyes.

Gabriel didn’t expect Jack to bring up the reason. He genuinely hoped that Jack believed it just came from his heart, a need to spend time together without spying or being awkward. Which was partially true, sure, but _revenge_ had been on his mind at the moment of taking the decision, and the catalyst had been a lie. Nothing pure about that. Gabriel felt bad for a moment, and considered lying to look better, more romantic. But nothing good ever came from hiding in a lie, so he just tweaked the truth _a little_.

“A little flower told me a secret,” Gabriel smiled, even if jack couldn’t see him “and I just had to take a chance”

Reyes didn’t have a direct view of Jack’s face, but he was almost completely sure he was blushing before rushing out of the room towards the front counter. Gabriel walked and stood with his back against the doorframe of his studio, smiling wide while looking at Jack pay at the front counter. Morrison tried to keep Jesse away from snooping and avoided to mention where his tattoo was. Meanwhile Hanzo simply shook his head and hurried on with the transaction.

Gabriel had always thought of relationships as a game of poker, where you had to play according to the cards you were dealt with and keep appearances straight-faced, as ironic as it sounds. Jesse had always liked the metaphor of a card game, which is why it suddenly stuck with him. But Jack had made him rethink his position. Maybe, _just maybe_ , being involved romantically with another person was a matter of patience and, just like the days where he tended to his mom’s roses, all he needed to do was be smart and careful enough not to screw everything over. For the first time, nurturing and opening up to someone other than his son didn’t feel risky.

A reassuring thought crossed Gabriel’s mind as he waved goodbye before Jack walked out of the parlor: he was falling hard for the blond, and loving every second of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few explanations:  
> 1\. This chapter is long because I will be moving countries very soon and have no idea how frequently I will be able to keep updating.  
> 2\. The long spanish part is a little jab at all of the non-spanish speakers, google is your friend!  
> 3\. Thank you all for reading, honestly, y'all are the best.  
> 4\. If you want to [follow me on twitter](https://twitter.com/solillune) for memes and bad times then go ahead and say hello!


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